My research idea, centred on exploring dance pedagogical approaches that transcend language barriers and expand possibilities for embodied interaction, led me to seek a context where dance, as a form of embodied expression, could make a valuable contribution. This focus led me to conduct research at a daycare centre in East Helsinki, which serves many children from multilingual families. Such a context was particularly relevant, as research shows that children whose home language is not Finnish often face greater challenges in Finnish-speaking environments than those whose home language is solely Finnish (Repo et al. 2024).
4.1.1 Fieldwork as a Concept
Fieldwork is a concept that originated in anthropology and ethnographic research and has been further developed within the qualitative research paradigm (e.g., Denzin and Lincoln 2018). I adopted this terminology during the initial practical phase of my research within the daycare context, as it effectively encapsulated my ‘going out there and doing research’ process. I later questioned my choice of the term, considering it potentially too humanistic, traditional, and even colonial (Brinkmann, Jacobsen, and Kristiansen 2014), but I chose to continue using the term as I had used it throughout the research. However, my approach to fieldwork is explicitly tailored to this research, which I will elaborate on in the following paragraphs.
4.1.2 Practical Arrangements
Together with the staff, we established a schedule that distributed my time equitably across the three participating groups. I worked at the daycare four days per week, from morning until late afternoon each day. The rhythm of my days was shaped by the daycare centre’s routines. Mornings alternated between outdoor activities and indoor dance sessions, typically in small groups due to limited space and safety considerations. Lunch provided meaningful moments of informal discussion, as children asked personal questions, for instance, about my family, pets, and favourite colours. During the rest that followed lunch, I engaged in pedagogical documentation in the staff room. The period between rest and snack was designated as quiet time, which allowed children who didn’t sleep during rest to gradually get up. Activities during this time needed to be quiet and take place in an area primarily furnished with tables and chairs, leaving minimal open-floor space. Nevertheless, we still found opportunities to dance during those times. Afternoons generally concluded with outdoor play or additional small-group dance sessions.
Groupings for the small groups were determined by staff to ensure pedagogical relevance, though this approach prevented consistency in group composition. As a result, continuities had to be re-established each time, while the ever-changing groupings fostered adaptability and openness to the fluid rhythms of the daycare centre. The flexibility of time, space, and participation ultimately served both the children and the daycare community and supported my idea of integrating dance into existing structures of ECEC community.
I positioned myself as the daycare centre’s in-house artist–pedagogue, with a built-in research agenda. I also recognised my dual subjectivity as both a professional dance educator and a mother seeking entry, which led me toward offering everyday guidance, for instance during meals, dressing, or organisation. However, I deliberately avoided taking a supervisory stance and instead embraced the specific affordances of my role as an adult, distinct from those of ECEC educators and guardians. I understood this position as a valuable opportunity to encounter children differently, and to explore what might surface. I related to children as potential artistic colleagues, and to them I was, at the least, an adult who always had time for encounters.
The staff at the institution seemed to view me as a highly valued artistic resource, with the research dimension further underscoring my presence’s institutional and societal significance. This heightened status felt like an unnecessary layer, yet it served as a vital reminder of the inherent power dynamics in research; I was viewed quite distinctly in this role than I would have been as solely a dance teacher. Conversely, my deliberate relational approach, grounded in everyday authenticity, humour, and respect for the staff’s pedagogical expertise and their intimate knowledge of the children, fostered a warm, reciprocal relationship. However, the sense of my elevated status, produced both by my dance pedagogical expertise and my role as a researcher, created tension that persisted throughout my fieldwork. This offered a crucial opportunity to understand the weight embedded in scholarly inquiry.